Gerard Baker: Obama's 'American dream moment' | Sketch: Clinton gives out one last kick | Analysis: US elections blog | Superdelegates desert Hillary and back Barack | Transcript: Obama speech | Transcript: Clinton speech | Video: the speeches | Daniel Finkelstein: US must lose legacy of the Sixties |Times leading article

Total delegates - Barack Obama: 2,157 Hillary Clinton: 1,925

Barack Obama today passes through the gateway of history as a black man carrying his party’s standard into battle in November’s presidential election.

After a wave of pledges from super-delegates pushed him up to the “magic number” of delegates — 2,118 — needed for victory, he accepted the mantle of presumptive Democratic nominee at another huge rally in St Paul, Minnesota.

Expert View

In a tumultuous break with history, the ultimate realisation of the American dream moved a little closer

Gerard Baker

• More

• Post a comment

Related Links

• Comment: can the American dream come true?

• Clinton gives Obama one more kick

• The A-Z of Barack Obama

Multimedia

• Obama's speech

• Our writers' views on an historic night

• Video: Clinton congratulates opponent

"Tonight, after fifty-four hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end, " he declared.

Then, to a raucous ovation from 17,000 people inside the hall - and thousands more locked outside - he said: "I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States."

Hillary Clinton, his rival in an epic and often bitter struggle, was facing the end of her own historically charged effort to become America’s first woman president. Many of her staff have been told to stand down and await instructions. Some are reported to be searching for new jobs.

Even as voters cast their ballots in South Dakota and Montana, the final primaries of their marathon 16-month battle, Democratic power brokers had effectively sealed the contest by lining up behind Mr Obama. When polls closed, more than two dozen announced their backing for him.

Mrs Clinton began her speech in New York by congratulating Mr Obama on the campaign he had run, adding: "It has been an honour to contest these primaries with him, just as it is an honour to call him my friend.”

But she stopped short of conceding defeat. "This has been a long campaign," she said, "and I will be making no decisions tonight." Instead, she promised to spend the coming days consulting with the Democratic leadership "to determine how we move forward" while being guided by the best interests of the party.

Earlier, Mrs Clinton had acknowledged for the first time that she would consider the consolation prize of the vice-presidential slot on Mr Obama’s ticket. In a telephone call with the New York Congressional delegation, she said that she was “open” to the idea, adding: “I’ll do whatever I can to help us win.”

And, in her speech at Baruch College, New York, she teased her audience, saying: "I understand that a lot of people are asking, What does Hillary want? What does she want? Well, I want what I have always fought for in this campaign. I want to end this war in Iraq, I want to turn this economy around, I want health care for every American...and I want the nearly 18 million Americans who voted for me to be respected, to be heard and to no longer be invisible.”

Times Recommends

• No apology for Germany’s own Nazi victims
• Intricate web of fear and hope tying down deal
• Victims remembered a year after Mumbai attacks